The present invention is related to the field of packet telephony.
In the field of voice communications, there is increased use of packet telephony, also referred to as “voice over IP” or VOIP, as opposed to traditional circuit-based telephony. In packet-based telephony, the samples of periods of speech (or silence) of a telephone call are organized into discrete packets that are transmitted among the parties involved in the call. The packets are sent successively through a packet network such as the Internet. In contrast to circuit-based telephony, there is no reserved circuit, or end-to-end path, along which the packets can travel unimpeded. Rather, the telephony packets are treated in many respects as regular data packets that are carried as part of non-telephony applications, such as file transfer and electronic mail. This transmission method provides certain challenges in providing a desirable quality of service, including the need to smooth out the inherent variable delays of packet transmission so that the content of the call can be faithfully reproduced at the receiving end. However, packet-based telephony can generally be provided at significantly less expense than traditional circuit-based telephony, and also is more amenable to being integrated with computer applications to form new and valuable services, and therefore the use of packet telephony is expected to continue to expand.
One important aspect of packet telephony is its interface to traditional circuit telephony systems, such as the public switched telephone network (PSTN). Circuit telephony is still ubiquitous and will likely continue to be predominant in the foreseeable future. Specialized devices called “gateways” have been developed that are placed at the interface between packet telephony systems and circuit telephony systems. Gateways convert, in real time, between the time-multiplexed and pulse-coded format of a circuit telephone signal, on the one hand, and the packetized format required in a packet telephony system on the other, thus enabling a subscriber in one system to engage in a telephone call with a subscriber in the other system.
One area in which packet telephony has been deployed is in call centers, which are facilities that handle incoming calls from a particular population. Call centers are widely used by large companies, for example, in providing customer support. Some call centers can be quite large, and thus the favorable economies of packet telephony make it an attractive implementation option. Another benefit is the relative ease with which packet telephone connections can be integrated with software programs. Operators or “agents” within a call center typically have a computer terminal with access to company databases that contain information necessary to satisfy customer calls. The routing and other manipulation of a packet call can easily be integrated with the database access and other programs utilized within the call center.